Darkness
by nuklear1
Summary: Piccolo and a child(s'not Gohan). Sappy at first, Action later.. My very first fic ^_^ Piccolo's the main character, but all the chars are in this, so no one gets left out. enjoy. ^_~
1. The Storm

Darkness

Disclaimer- I do not own DBZ, any of it's characters, or concepts. And after seeing the work of FUNimation…I'm not so sure I want to.

And here we go---

*

The night was still and damp, a sure sign that a storm was coming. The clap of thunder confirmed any doubts that it might not arrive. Slowly but surely, tiny droplets turned into a downpour of cold, spattering rain. It pounded mercilessly at the tender undergrowth in the forest. Mud sloshed around everywhere as a flood began rising from the nearby river. Soon, the river was winding a new path, a very large one. It snaked around tree trunks and over rocks, drowning roots and small animals. A terrible force to be reckoned with. A flash of lightning provided a moment of visibility in the utter darkness. The thunder became fierce in its roaring. It sounded as though 50 mustangs ran across the sky, their hoof beats cracking over one cloud then another. Being in this storm would give anyone a good idea of what it was like to be blind, deaf, and mute. There was no light, no sound could be heard above the roar of rain and thunder; it was useless to cry out for help if you were lost. Useless to look for a way back to civilization. Useless to cry in fear, for tears blended perfectly with the torrents of rain. Despite knowing all of this, someone was crying. Huddled under a large tree, not knowing that it was dangerous there. Trying not to be scared, but failing horribly as each lightning bolt and thunderclap let its presence be known.

Keket was this someone. Her long, strawberry blonde hair was matted, tangled, and dirty from being in the woods. Almost to the point where one would think it had never been blonde at all. Her huge green eyes were closed tightly, in an attempt to block out all the moving, twisting shadows that she knew were after her. Small arms locked around small knees, trying to keep her body warm. Tattered shorts and torn shirts were not the fashion of cold weather, however, and Keket began to think that maybe she would never see another morning. Sob after sob racked her small form. She wanted to be safe in a house somewhere, but she could not go home, she would not go home. So, having no other options, she sat. Sat in water that was steadily rising, cold water. The fact that the water had once just been mud and was now a steady stream over her ankles, caused more panic to well inside of the already frightened child. This caused more tears and more hiccups to arise from her heaving chest. The wind snatched the pitiful sounds away before they could reach the ears of anyone that might be stupid enough to be out in this weather. Keket coughed out another sob, but slowly forced herself to open her eyes. What she saw did not please her. With a yelp, she quickly shut her eyes and began to cry anew.

"I'm scared," came the soft, hoarse whisper. Keket would have cried for her mother, but that woman had never helped her before and Keket doubted very seriously that she would come to her aid this time. The child suddenly realized that the water was rising constantly. As she stood to get out of the wetness, she saw that it now came to her calves. She glanced around hurriedly, trying to spot any sort of shelter or the like. Nothing was to be seen. None of the branches in the trees were low enough for her to climb up on to prevent being swept away by the water that was quickly gaining depth and speed. Keket steeled her resolve. She had to find a way out. She had made it this far in life and nothing, especially not a silly old storm, was going to make her give up. The will to survive urged her forward to search for shelter. She trudged through the strong currents of water which were now to her thighs. She refused to be swept away like a helpless infant. A baby that couldn't do anything for herself. Keket had been through too much hardship to let something like this stop her.

"I gotta find shelter, I just gotta!" She cried out into the darkness. Shouting was her way of challenging the storm. Saying, I'm here! You haven't beaten me! "You hear me!?" She cried, "You can't…" Her words were cut off as she felt a strong pull on her legs. Keket stopped moving and the tug became stronger. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that the water would soon over take her. "No. No," she cried piteously, "I don't wanna die…" Her resolve weakened and then broke totally. Sobs once again began to sputter out of her. Quietly at first and then so hard that she had to cough for air. With these tears, Keket gave up all hope of surviving this night.

*

Piccolo bowed his head to the storm. The rain whipped around the ki-barrier he held around him to keep the water from stinging him. Flying at these speeds, the rain would've proved to be a painful weapon. He had been sent out for Senzu beans. Vegeta had been injured once again in the Gravity chamber, waiting out the storm by training there. Piccolo had come into Bulma's house to escape the storm that had begun without warning. As he was entering, the house shook as an explosion outside caused the ground to quake. He and Bulma had quickly run outside to find Vegeta lying in a pile of rubble that had once been the gravity chamber. Piccolo went into action immediately, sensing that Vegeta's injuries were far worse than they appeared to be. He had quickly told Bulma to get the prince inside while he went for senzus. 

"Damn foolish Saiyan…" he mumbled as lightning lit his features momentarily, "You'd think he would learn…" Shaking his head, Piccolo glanced down at the forest below. The trees swayed and bent to the will of the wind, allowing glimpses of the forest floor below. He saw that the river had flooded and the water was eagerly rising, destroying everything in its path. His ears twitched at the sound of a small noise beneath the steady crash of thunder. With narrowed eyes, he scanned the forest floor again. Small movement could barely be seen, even to one with such excellent eyesight as Piccolo. 'Probably an animal.' He shrugged and would have gone on with his flight had he not heard a scream from below. Without thinking, he dove towards the ground, ignoring the wind that pushed against him. As he leveled off over the ground, he saw ahead of him a small hand reaching up through the cold flood currents of water. Piccolo picked up speed and grasped the hand before it sank beneath the surface. A tiny tug was all it took to pull the hand, and the body attached to it, out of the cold water. A gasp escaped Piccolo's lips as he realized that it was a child.

"What on Kami's Earth are you doing out here, kid?" He got no reply and had expected none. The child was clearly unconscious. With a curse, he brought the coughing human close to his chest, enveloping her with his ki to keep anymore rain from getting to her. She continued to cough, and Piccolo suddenly realized she was choking. Daring to take one more moment out of his important mission, he turned the child over one arm and forced the remaining water out of her lungs with a well-aimed punch to her back. She drew in a wheezy breath and fell limp against him. "Damn kid, I guess I'll have to take you with me to Korin's… can't leave you here…" With an exasperated sigh, he wrapped his arms around the shivering girl and continued his flight to the life-saving senzu beans.

*

A/N- I have absolutely NO idea where this came from. I sat down, started typing, and when I looked up- this is what I had. And idea for the development of this story came to me as I read it over. So um, I hope it wasn't too horrible _ Lemme know if I should continue or stick to the Action/Adventure which happens to be my specialty. This is my first Dbz fic here so… r & r!


	2. Explanations

Darkness

Disclaimer- **^**picks teeth**^ I** dun't own nothin' er nobody so git off my property!

And a 1 a 2, a 1, 2, 3, 4—

*

The first thing that rose above Keket's unconsciousness and allowed her senses to detect, was the steady hard thud of a heartbeat. Her sense of smell was the next thing to return. A damp smell filled her nostrils. Something wet, but clean. She slowly blinked and opened her eyes to focus on the color purple. Blinking once more in confusion, she pushed against the thing she was settled on. 

"Hey, you're awake. It's about time." Keket nearly jumped out of her own clothes when she heard the deep, rich voice resonate through her ears. She looked up to see that someone was holding her, the color purple she had seen upon waking up had been his shirt, where her face had been buried against his chest. She felt no less confused now than she had then, however, and she had the urge to yelp in surprise at the man's features. The sharp angular contours of his jaw and cheekbones were not the most startling thing, but the fact that he was a curious shade of green caused her some alarm. His ears, which were the largest and most pointy she'd ever seen, made her think of an elf. 

"Y-you're the biggest elf I've ever seen…" She declared stupidly, her mind still too groggy to form intelligent conversation topics. The green man rolled his eyes and shook his head, turning his attention away from her. Keket suddenly became aware that she was moving, "What… what the?" She looked around her to see that they were nearly a hundred feet in the air, flying! Rain still spilled from the clouds and cascaded around them, but didn't seem to touch them physically. These facts caused her grip to tighten around the green man's waist and she let out a barely audible yelp.

"Kid, relax…" His calm voice reassured her, "We've been flying for sometime now, and I haven't dropped you yet, so don't worry." Keket dared to look down once again and gulped as she saw the ground (which was looking quite mean and hard) rush by them.

"H-how are you doing this?" She asked as she looked up to run her eyes over this man's strange features once more.

"I'll explain everything that you'd like to know when we get to Capsule Corp. We're gonna make a stop at Korin's Tower, but when we get back, I also want some answers from you, brat. Until then, try to keep your mouth shut, hm?" 

"Can I ask just one more question?" 

"What is it!?" The man asked irritably. 

"Well, um," She stuttered, "I, um… just wanted to know your name."

"My name is Piccolo, now shut up for the love of Kami. I liked you better when you were unconscious!" The man named Piccolo growled at her. Keket winced at his sharp hurtful tone, upset that their conversation hadn't gone as well as she had hoped. Forcing herself not to look down, she rested her head against his chest once more to be comforted by the steady throb of his heart. Anything to cover up the terrible noises of the storm. As they flew, Keket wondered what Korin's Tower was, though she dare not ask in fear of making Piccolo angry again, how this man had found her, why he had saved her, and just what the hell was going on. She voiced none of these queries, just focused on breathing deeply in and out to calm her nerves. A technique that she found had worked in some of the scariest moments in her life. And there had certainly been an abundance in those to learn from, she mused. 

*

Piccolo lowered his ki and allowed the barrier that surrounded the child and he to dissipate as he landed on Korin's Tower. The fat, small, white cat was no where to be seen. Which probably meant that he was downstairs, sleeping, eating, or doing…cat things. Piccolo groaned. This was all Vegeta's fault. If the stupid saiyan didn't train so hard, he wouldn't be up here hunting down senzu beans. The girl he carried stirred once more, their first conversation hadn't gone well, and he wasn't looking forward to the next.

"A-are we there? I mean… are we at Korin's Tower?" She repeated the word she had heard him use.

"Yes, we are. I want you to sit here while I go look for someone, understand?" He asked, setting her down carefully on the floor.

"A-all right."

"Good, I'll be right back," with that, Piccolo walked to the stairs and peered down them, hoping he wouldn't have to venture into Korin's room. He wasn't particularly comfortable invading someone else's space, but he had no choice, this was a life or death situation.

"Korin?" He called tentatively down the stairs… No reply.

"Eek! Mister!! Help!" Piccolo whirled back around at the sound of the girl's high-pitched shriek. Once he realized that she was not in danger, he nearly laughed out loud. Yaijorobe stood staring down at the girl, scaring her half to death. 'And who wouldn't be scared of that face' Piccolo thought with a dry chuckle.

"Relax kid, he isn't gonna hurt you." Piccolo reassured her. Since Korin didn't seem to be around, Yaijorobe seemed the next obvious choice.

"What are you doing here anyway? And who is this?" The fat 'samurai' demanded of Piccolo.

"I'm here for senzu beans and this is a new acquaintance of mine," he answered, motioning to the girl.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hey Korin isn't here right now. He's out visiting or something. I forget. Anyway, there are some spare senzu beans I can let you borrow. Just don't waste 'em all!" Yaijorobe tossed the small bag of beans to Piccolo and pointed to the shivering child, "And take your brat with ya!" Piccolo narrowed his eyes at the samurai's rudeness and scooped the girl into his arms.

"Can… we go now?" She whispered in his ear, "I don't like that guy."

"Yeah, me neither. Let's go." Piccolo closed another ki barrier around them and leapt off the edge of the tower.

"HEY! Don't I even get a thank you!?" They both heard Yaijorobe's voice echoing after them. Neither acknowledged the fact that they had heard and continued on back to Capsule Corp.

*

"Hey, Mister? I mean…um…Piccolo?" Keket asked tentatively as the ground blurred once more beneath them. She wasn't totally comfortable with flying, but at least the storm was dissipating. 

"What is it?" Piccolo didn't take his attention away from the ground as he began his descent. Capsule Corp. was in view.

"Well, um…Wh-what do you plan on doing with me?"

"What's that supposed to mean? I plan to take you to Capsule Corp. Find out where you're from and take you home." He replied as the ground came ever closer.

"B-but… I don't wanna-" She was cut off by Piccolo's growl.

"Didn't I already say that we could discuss this at Capsule Corp.?" He looked down at her with an annoyed expression. 

"I-I'm sorry…" She whispered and shut her eyes tightly as they landed. Realizing that there was no danger, she opened them again and saw a huge building with Capsule Corporation written over the top.

"Wow…" was her awed murmur.

"All right kid, this is where the ride ends." Piccolo sat placed her on the ground where she wobbled on her still unsteady feet. The door suddenly burst open and a woman with blue hair ran out in hysterics.

"Piccolo, I think he's gotten worse! Did you get the senzus?" The woman swiped at her tears and looked up at Piccolo hopefully.

"Yes," He tossed her the bag of Senzus and she ran back inside without another word. Piccolo looked down at Keket and motioned for her to enter the house. She followed without question. Her eyes widened a degree as she took in the sheer size of the huge building. Keket had never seen such a large dwelling before. She stood politely by the door, not wanting to invade someone's home. The woman she had seen earlier ran back to Piccolo, she was slightly calmer now.

"H-he's all right…" She declared with obvious relief. Keket wondered who this 'he' could be, but she didn't ask. The woman suddenly noticed her, "Hey Piccolo, who's this cutey?" She asked with a smile and bent down to Keket's height.

"Just a brat I found. Don't know what the hell she was doing out in the woods. Kids pop up in the strangest places…"

"Well, hey sweetie. What's your name?"

"Keket…" She whispered shyly, "Wh-what's yours?"

"My name is Bulma. What are doing with Piccolo, huh?" Keket did not answer, unsure of what to say. Bulma smiled at her again anyway and stood up.

"Piccolo, do you know where she's from? Shouldn't we get her home?"

"We were just about to discuss that actually," he answered and looked down at Keket.

"C'mon into the living room then. It'll be more comfortable there," Bulma took Keket's tiny hand in her own and led her to the living room with Piccolo following behind.

*

A/N- sorry, this was a boring chapter _. I'm just not good with stuff like this. As I said before, I like Action/Adventure type things. But I'm determined to write this thing out, even if I get 0 reviews. Though it would be nice to receive a little feedback. (nudge nudge, hint hint) Well, there will be more Action when the bad guy is introduced, so no worries ^_~ Thanks for reading thus far and review if you feel the need…


	3. Not Home

Darkness

Disclaimer- I'm sure you all know by now that I do not own DBZ or any of the characters in this story 'cept for my own.

And AWAY we go….

*

Keket looked up into the faces of the two expectant adults. They wanted explanations and they wanted them now. The small child wrung her hands nervously, not really wanting to reveal everything about herself. She had to think of a way to let them know as little as possible.

"So kiddo, what were you doing way out in the woods, and in a storm like this?" Bulma asked softly, not wanting to make the child panic. Piccolo stood in front of her, having decided not to sit.

"I…I had run away from home before the storm started, and I was already a pretty long way away by the time it started raining really hard. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I tried to wait it out under a tree…" She answered.

"Why did you leave home?" Came Piccolo's stern voice, his eyes staring directly into hers. Keket fell silent, she didn't want to answer that, but if she didn't say something soon they might become suspicious.

"I…um…I don't remember…" She said hopefully and looked up to see if he had bought her lie. Piccolo raised a brow ridge skeptically.

"You don't remember why you ran away?" 

"Piccolo, she's probably still a little scared. Give her a little while to adjust," Bulma replied for the child, cutting off any other questions, "Hey sweetie, would you like something to eat? Would that make you feel better?" Keket thought about this and realized that she hadn't eaten in a whole day. 

"That'd be nice…" 

"Well, c'mon then! Let's get you some food…" Bulma took the child's hand once more and led her into the kitchen. Piccolo scowled, but followed anyway.

*

Two bowls of rice and grilled salmon, and a glass of milk later, Keket sighed in satisfaction. She couldn't remember having ever eaten that much or something that tasty.

"Thank you, that was delicious." She smiled gratefully at Bulma.

"I'm glad you liked it, now can we finish our discussion?"

"I hate to be blunt, but I… I don't want to talk about it. I ran away and I'm not going back. I won't let anyone force me back to that place. Please, don't ask me anymore questions. I'll leave if you can't help me; you've been more than generous enough already. Really, I can take care of myself." Keket finished her statement with a nod as if she had just come to terms with what she wanted.

"Okay, okay. We won't push. But kid, you can't stay away from home, you're parents are probably worried about you. I bet you had an argument with your mom or dad, right? And you ran away because you thought they didn't understand?" Bulma placed her hand comfortingly on the girl's cheek. Keket shook her head.

"I-I wish it were that simple, but it's not… I don't want to discuss this," For one so small, Keket didn't bounce around on subjects, she knew what she wanted, what she needed, and how to get it. "Miss Bulma, I really appreciate you being so nice to me, but like I said, if you can't help, and I don't mean this rudely at all, then I have to go. But the fact remains that I will not return home. Under any circumstances."

"But why? We have to know why. If your parents have hurt you, then I can provide for you, but if you're just having a child's temper tantrum, then you need to go home." Bulma removed her hand and awaited a reply.

"Stop this Bulma. This is going no where." Piccolo entered the conversation. He stood directly in front of Keket, grasped her chin is his hand and forced her to look at him. "Listen kid, we want to know why you can't go home, and we want to know now. I saved your life, you owe this to me. Now answer our questions!" 

"I…I…" Keket stuttered and tried to look away, but Piccolo's grasp tightened.

"Look at me when you speak and tell me what I want to know." Bulma watched all of this anxiously. The poor girl looked scared out of her mind, but would not stand up for herself anymore. Keket's eyes began to brim with tears, but she attempted to blink them away. 'I can't cry here,' she thought, 'Not in front of them…' A lone tear escaped, despite her best efforts to keep it in and she pushed at Piccolo's hand, now embarrassed that he had reduced her to tears.

"I said I don't wanna talk about it!" She glared up at him. Keket was very angry and she didn't try to hide it. She was tired of being pushed around. "Why can't you understand!?" With that, she ran out of the room and then out of the house. Piccolo growled at her show of disrespect and started after her. Bulma stopped him.

"Piccolo, don't be angry with her… I think she was hurt, don't yell at her when you find her… She's just scared. I know it's not your thing, but try to be nice…" 

"Look, you might tolerate her attitude problems, but I certainly will not. I cannot and will not allow such a show of disrespect towards me, I don't care who the hell she is. I plan on finding the brat, forcing her to tell me where she's from and taking her back there. She doesn't belong here." Piccolo's anger grew every moment he spoke, but he managed to keep a somewhat calm face.

"Would you just listen to me? I realize that we never were and never will be the best of friends, but I know a little bit more about kids than you do, so trust me okay? Keket is probably not going to want to come back here right away, and if she won't tell you where she lives, then you'd better damn well at least make sure she's safe before you leave her." Bulma's eyes narrowed as she tried to get through to the stubborn Namekian. 

"Listen, I'm not gonna let the kid wander around in the woods, if that's what you're thinking. If for some reason, I can't get her to tell me where she lives then I will take responsibility for her until I can find out. Are you happy now?" He glared at her.

"All right… Just please, don't scare her. Try to keep calm." She requested this last thing from him as Piccolo turned and exited the house. Bulma sighed and watched him leave. "I guess I better check up on Vegeta…"

*

Whimpers turned to soft to cries, which turned to sob as Keket flopped to the ground in the middle of yet another forest. A waterfall flowed beside her, it being the only comforting thing in the area. She cried for not knowing what to do, for being rude to the people who were nice enough to care for her, and for being lonely and hurt. Such racking sobs were hers, that she didn't hear soft footsteps approaching her.

"Kid, is that you?" A familiar deep voice alerted her to its presence. And from it she deduced that Piccolo was right behind her.

"Piccolo… I'm sorry for…for yelling at you." She sniffled, but made no attempt to turn around and face him. Her blonde hair cascaded around her face, still dirty from the previous downpour that had now ended. The sun streamed the canopy of trees and onto her face. "Are you…mad at me?" Piccolo stopped in his tracks at that question. He wasn't really mad at her, not anymore.

"No, no I'm not. I just want some answers. You need to tell me where you live." He tried to reason with her. Keket hiccuped and dared to look up at him. Piccolo drew back slightly at the sight of her tears.

"Please… I don't wanna go home. I don't wanna..." She pleaded.

"Can't you give me a reason why?" He asked, trying to keep his voice from rising in exasperation, but not doing the best job in the world. Keket shook her head and turned away once more.

"Don't make me… please, Piccolo. Please…" Her tiny voice shook with emotion and she buried her face in her hands, ashamed to be crying in front of someone. Piccolo walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Why are you so afraid? I saved you, why should you fear me at all?"

"It's not you… I just… if they find out, if they know…" She trembled terribly and refused to look up again.

"If who finds out?" Keket drew a shaky breath, decided that she could trust Piccolo and finally answered his question.

"Mamma… if mamma finds out, she'll tell the doctor and then…" Keket was cut off by Piccolo's hand tightening on her shoulder.

"Doctor? What does a doctor have to do with this?" 

"Well," she sniffed back another sob, "His name is Dr. Gero…" 

*

A/N- I smell trouble a' brewin'. The bad guy will soon be introduced, and it's not what you think. Hee ^_^ I'm glad that this thing s slowly picking up, I don't write sappy moments all that well… But there are more in the future, so I'd better get used to it. Please review if you feel the need. ^_~


	4. Comforts....

Darkness

Disclaimer- Blah, blah, blah, blah. I don't own Dbz or the characters… yeah yeah.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 o' clock ROCK--

*

"Who is Dr. Gero?" Piccolo grasped Keket's shoulders and turned her around to face him.

"He's a… he's a…" Keket stuttered, but broke down into sobs once more before she could finish her sentence, "Piccolo? C-can we finish this tomorrow? I…I can't talk anymore…" She hiccuped

"All right. But I do want answers tomorrow, okay?" Keket nodded and wiped her nose on her tattered sleeve.

"D-do you know anywhere I could stay? Just for the night? I don't wanna go back to Miss Bulma's house, she's probably mad at me…"

"She's not mad at you… don't worry about that." Piccolo managed to calm her a little bit. "I guess you could spend the night at Kami's with me, since you probably don't want to sleep outside." Keket nodded and let out a tiny whimpering cry. Piccolo, who was stern in his demeanor, softened at the sight of the child's tears. Despite the fact that he hardly knew this girl, her small form and innocence made him think of Gohan and he could not be harsh with her.

"C'mon, we'll go now so you can get settled in before night." Piccolo did not await her reply. Instead, he scooped her up and let her weep on his chest. Frowning at her steady flow of salty tears, he brushed a hand through her hair. "We'll be there very soon, so don't be afraid of the height, okay?"

"I'm…I'm all right." Keket forced herself to calm down. There would be plenty of time for tears tonight when she was alone and could conceal her cries.

"Good, let's get out of here." Piccolo floated into the sky and flew as fast as he could, without scaring the life out of the child. Keket didn't seem to notice the speed, she merely rested her head against his strong chest and closed her eyes. 'I wonder what's gonna happen to me…' she thought as Piccolo began to angle his flight to a more vertical degree.

*

The wind blew in an almost constant, gentle breeze at the top of the lookout, causing the palms to sway and move in such a way that they looked like graceful dancers in rhythm with one another. Keket sucked in an awed breath at the size of the place. It had looked so small when she had been in Piccolo's arms, flying toward it. It wasn't until he placed her on the floor that she could take in the true enormity of it. If she'd thought CC was huge, then this place rated behemoth. Piccolo had told her to stay outside while he went in and found Kami, or as he had put it, 'a wrinkly old fart.' Keket had stayed put with pleasure, the sun on her face made her forget all her problems for a few precious moments and she savored them. Closing her eyes to bask in the soul-warming rays, she didn't notice the approach of a short, black man or actually, genie.

"And who are you, young one?" Came his voice, startling the life out of her. Keket's eyes flew open and she began to back away. "Do not be afraid, my name is Popo. I merely wish to know who you are."

"L-leave me alone… Where's Piccolo? What'd you do to him?" Keket continued her slow retreat.

"I haven't done anything to Piccolo, even if I wished to, I could not. Is he the one that brought you here?" Popo asked stepping closer.

"Yes, he…did," Keket's pace became faster, "Stop that…leave me alone!" She yelled frantically as Popo continually edged towards her.

"Hey kid!" Keket looked up to see Piccolo standing in the doorway of the house/mansion/castle/temple type thing in the middle of the lookout. She bolted past Popo and hid behind Piccolo's leg. 

"I thought he…he did something to you…" She panted breathlessly and wrapped her arms around his leg. 

"Who? Mr. Popo?" Piccolo nearly laughed again, "I doubt it… don't be so jumpy, no one here will hurt you." She looked up at him, wanting to trust his words but just couldn't do it. She circled his leg as Popo entered the room, attempting to stay as far away from the short man as possible.

"So it is you Piccolo. What brings you here? And with a friend?" Popo asked amiably. Piccolo winced inwardly at the term friend.

"I've come to ask a favor. My 'friend' and I need to stay here for the night, and I needed to speak to Kami. Where is the old man? I couldn't find him inside." Before Popo could answer, another voice arose from deeper within the room.

"Perhaps you just weren't looking hard enough." The voice belonged to a green guy that was obviously Piccolo's race, though he was old and wrinkled. Keket wondered how old he really was to have that many wrinkles.

"Why are you hiding in the shadows, old man? You already know why I'm here, so can I just have an answer?" Piccolo scowled at his elder.

"You are right, I already know why you're here, and the answer is yes. You know that you may always stay here, and the child is welcome as well." Kami replied, glancing at the child still clinging to Piccolo's leg, like he was life-support. "Who is she anyway?"

"Her name is Keket…" Piccolo answered and gave the girl a nudge out into the open. "Show some respect, brat." Keket turned bright red as she realized how rude she had been.

"S-sorry, Kami…sir…I was just…well…" She trailed off and bowed before Kami in respect.

"No need to explain, little one. I'll take you to your room. Popo, you can show Piccolo to his." Popo nodded in agreement and motioned for Piccolo to follow as he walked down a huge arched hallway. Keket ran to catch up with Kami after realizing that she would not be staying with her 'friend'. She finally caught up to the old man, who kept his pace down a second arching hallway.

"H-how come I don't get to stay with Piccolo?" She asked tentatively.

"He's not the most social of people. I think it's best that you give him some time alone. You can still see him if you feel the need, but there's really no need for you to bother him." Kami answered and took the child's hand as she walked/ran at his side to keep up.

"Where's my room?"

"Actually, it's right here…" Kami stopped in front of a huge doorway, which opened to reveal an equally huge room. Keket's eyes grew the size of saucers.

"I get to stay in here??" She asked walking to the center of the room and enjoying the space.

"Yes, you do. There is a bathroom behind that door over there," Kami pointed to a door to Keket's left that was nearly as large as the one that closed off the entrance to this room. "You can clean off and remove your old clothes. I will have Popo bring you some that are clean."

"Thank you, so much…" She looked back up at her new acquaintance.

"It's nothing, little one. You go ahead and take a bath. New clothes and towels will be waiting for you when you get out." Keket nodded happily and ran into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Kami waited until he heard water running before exiting the room, smiling to himself.

*

"Mmm…I feel better," Keket smiled as she climbed out of the tub. She must have soaked for half an hour before realizing that her skin was nearly as wrinkly as Kami's. Clean clothes were laid out on her bed, just as he had said. Keket slipped into them and ran her hands over the soft material. The pants were baggy and allowed free-range of motion. A robe kind of thing tied around her upper half and was held in place with a sash. "These are kind of cute…" A knock on the door drew attention from the new attire.

"Y-yes?" she called out.

"It's me, Mr. Popo… If you are hungry, there is food in the kitchen." The thick door between them muffled Mr. Popo's unmistakable voice. 'They have a kitchen here?' Keket thought, 'Well, I guess everyone has to eat.'

"I-I'll be there in a minute, thank you."

"Do you know the way?" Keket realized that she didn't.

"Um… no…"

"Come with me and I'll take you there now." Mr. Popo suggested. Keket pondered her options. She did not want to be alone with Popo, he just freaked her out, and Piccolo wasn't here with her…but she was so hungry… Keket made up her mind, firmed her resolve and opened the door. She resisted the urge to pull back when she saw Popo.

"Just follow me…" He beckoned and Keket obediently followed, making sure there was a good distance between them at all times. They finally arrived at the kitchen, where upon entering, Keket spotted a huge platter of food waiting for her.

"All that's for me?"

"I'm afraid I'm used to cooking for Saiyins." Mr. Popo admitted. Keket cocked her head to the side in puzzlement.

"Sai-yan?" She pronounced slowly.

"Yes, Piccolo hasn't told you about them already?"

"No…we've only known each other for a short time…" 

"Oh…well have a seat, and I shall tell you all about them…" Mr. Popo said excitedly, happy to have someone to talk to. Keket took a seat at the table and listened intently as Popo told her the story of the saiyans and the Z-gang.

…….

"Wow, that's quite a story. But after meeting all of you, I'm inclined to believe it." Keket finished off the last bite of her rice and gave her stomach a satisfied pat. "Ah… that was really good. I think this is the first day of my life that I've enjoyed two wonderful meals in a row. Thank you very much."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it…" Kami's voice arose from the doorway.

"Oh…hi Kami! Popo was just telling me a little about everyone." Keket felt much more relaxed now and it showed.

"Yes, well… now is the time for you to answer our questions. Piccolo said that you've been dodging this, but we need answers from you." Kami said sternly.

"Yes sir… I understand…" Keket glanced away and drew in a long breath. "What do you want to know?"

"For starters, how about telling us who Dr. Gero is." Piccolo walked up to her and took a seat at the table. 

"This could take awhile…" she warned.

"We are patient." Replied Kami.

"Well, my momma always told be that Gero was a terrible person. She said he was a doctor that was trying to create an army of robots to destroy just one person. Why anyone would need a whole army to destroy someone is beyond me… but… anyway, mother threatened me countless times, that if I didn't do as she asked, she would tell Dr. Gero to use the army to do terrible things to me." Keket sighed miserably, "Momma used to be such a nice person…"

"Do you remember who he created this army for?" Piccolo asked.

"I think his name was… actually… it was… GOKU! That's it! Remember Mr. Popo?" Keket looked up at him, "that was the guy in the story you told me!" She turned to look at Piccolo, "Do you know him too?"

"Son Goku…" whispered Piccolo. He stared sternly at Keket, "Are you sure that was his name?!"

"Yeah… I 'm pretty sure of it. I remembered, 'cause Mr. Popo told me about him. I thought I had heard that name before."

"Are you sure about all of this? How did your mother know what Dr. Gero was planning?" Kami asked.

"Well, that's easy," she smiled, not realizing the danger they were all in, "she's his sister."

*

A/N- I was truly struck with inspiration this time! I'm sure what some of you are thinking about this story, and let me just say that it is gonna be a huge twist! My muses must be working over time! Oh, and for those of you who wanted to know- Keket is about 7 years old right now. Please stick around, the story's action is about to pick up.


	5. Danger!

Darkness

Disclaimer- I own EVERYTHING! No, not really. I lied. I own nothing, I'm a poor, pitiful girl who doesn't get to make any money from these stories. * sniffles*

There was a girl who had a fic and Nukey was her name o'- (don't ask me why I put these things here)

*

"Your mother is his sister? So, you're his niece?" Kami asked, leaning against his walking stick.

"I guess that would make me his niece. "

"Why does he want Son Goku?" Piccolo demanded.

"I forget the details, but they kept saying that he was a bad man and that he had destroyed some kind of army…The Red…red something army." Kami sat down at the table, the shock of this story beginning to sink in.

"The Red-Ribbon Army…." He murmured and sighed heavily.

"Yes! That's it! How did you know?" Keket turned to look at him.

"Goku fought that very same army when he was just a boy… but why would anyone bring them back?" Kami's eyes narrowed in frustration. 

"I remember hearing about that too," Keket exclaimed, "Momma and the doctor were talking one night, I had sneaked downstairs even though I wasn't supposed to, and the doctor said something about revenge. I didn't know what he was talking about then, but I sure do now…"

"We should tell Goku right away…" Mr. Popo joined in the conversation.

"Keket, how near was Gero to completing this army?" Piccolo asked, ignoring Popo.

"Well, I'm not real sure about that, but right before I ran away, momma kept saying weird things like- 'The time has come...' or, 'it's almost ready Keket'. She really confused me back then, scared me a lot too. Sometimes I wondered if she was crazy, 'cause she said pretty weird things…" Keket yawned loudly after finishing her story.

"The child is tired… and it is late. Goku is probably asleep by now. I hope this can wait 'til morning. We need time to get everyone together." Kami said, watching Keket's eyelids droop and blink slowly.

"Keket?" Piccolo waited until the child turned to look at him sleepily before continuing. "Do you remember where your room is?"

"No…" she answered sheepishly and blushed, "I still haven't learned my way around…"

"C'mon, I'll take you back there and we can finish this in the morning." Piccolo began walking away, assuming that Keket would follow. She did, but groggily.

"Piccolo?" She asked in a tired whisper as she followed him through the hallways.

"Hm?"

"Am I in trouble?"

"For what?" He stopped and turned to look at her.

"For telling you all that stuff in there. Kami looked kind of upset…" She confided, looking a little worried.

"No, you're not. It was good that you told us, now we can be ready for Gero when he comes." Piccolo replied, and continued on with his walk. Keket's worried look melted away and she yawned sleepily again.

"Hey, here's my room. Thanks for bringing me, I would've gotten lost." Piccolo nodded and turned away to walk back to the kitchen. He had a few things he needed to discuss with Kami. A small hand stopped him.

"Wait… can I ask one more favor?"

"What is it?"

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" Keket looked up at him with huge eyes and a trusting face. 'I swear kids must have a whole group of muscles just for enlarging their eyes.' Piccolo thought with a groan.

"All right…" he sighed, "But make it quick or I'm leaving anyway." Keket nearly jumped for joy as she ran into her room, hopped on the bed and snuggled under the covers.

"Thanks, Piccolo…" She smiled happily as he shut the door and sat on the edge of her bed.

*

Not fifteen minutes later, Piccolo found himself exiting the child's room. She had fallen asleep quickly, and who could blame her with all that had happened today. He made his way back to the kitchen and found Kami there, looking worried.

"Hey old man… we need to talk…"

"I realize that, Piccolo," Kami straightened up tiredly, "This is a lot to take in. I can't believe I didn't sense anything."

"Well, no matter. We know about it now, thanks to Keket." Piccolo took a seat.

"Keket… how do we know she's telling the truth?"

"Why would she lie? Besides, I doubt a child her age could make up a story like that." Piccolo looked towards Popo who was standing nearby, "Popo would you please bring us some water?" Popo nodded and waddled off to the other end of the kitchen.

"That's true, and she looks honest." Kami nodded his thanks as Popo sat a glass of water down in front of the two Nameks.

"First thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to visit Goku and warn him, he can decide how to handle this. Keket did say that the army was after him." Piccolo took a sip of the water and groaned. "I guess we have another battle on the way."

"I'm sure we can stop the Red-Ribbon army, Goku did accomplish it once, and he was only a small boy. We've seven warriors on our side now." 

"Yes, I'm sure we can. But I have a …well a bad feeling about all of this. Like there's something else we're not seeing. Something that not even Keket knows about." Piccolo rested his arms on the table and twirled his now empty water glass idly in his hands.

"You are worried for the child…" Kami's sentence was a statement and not a question. Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the elder Namek.

"How am I supposed to reply to that? I guess I am, in a way. I just feel that…" Piccolo trailed off and sighed, "I don't know."

"You feel that she needs protection?"

"Yes, but there's something else. I'm just not sure what it is. Like when your looking for something, but it's right in front of your face and you don't realize it… that's what this situation reminds me of. There is something underneath all of this, Kami. And I have to find out what it is…" Piccolo finished and growled low in his throat, annoyed at the fact that he couldn't figure out what he was feeling.

"Speaking of Keket…" Kami motioned to the doorway. Keket stood there, sniffling pitifully. Piccolo had been so involved in conversation that he hadn't heard her. Kami stopped him before he had a chance to get up. "She needs you, she trusts you. Don't let her down. I get the feeling she's dealt with being let down all her life. Just put aside your image for just this once." Kami whispered to the scowling Namek. Surprisingly enough, Piccolo nodded and made his way to the girl.

"P-piccolo?" Keket looked up at him and choked back a cry. 

"What are you doing up, kid?"

"I- I had a dream…a nightmare… about the army…and…and…" Keket's voice thickened with emotion until she had to stop talking.

"C'mon, I'll take you back to your room…" Piccolo murmured and picked the child up. She curled into his embrace and continued crying softly. He made his way down the huge hallways, Keket's cries echoing off of the marble walls. "It was only a dream… it wasn't real…"

"It felt so real…" She whimpered as he entered her room and closed the door behind them. Piccolo carefully sat on the child's bed and attempted to put her back under the covers. She protested immediately. "No, no Piccolo…don't leave me! If you leave, the dream will come back!" Keket cried and tightened her grip on his collar.

"Dreams can't hurt you Keket, don't be silly…"

"It wasn't just a dream… I could feel it, I felt everything!"

"Child, it was a dream, just a nightmare." Piccolo smoothed her hair in an attempt to comfort.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" She hiccuped. "Please, just hold me… don't leave me, don't leave me all alone…"

"Shh, I won't… I'll stay here, all right? Until you're safe, I'll stay." Piccolo whispered soothingly into the child's ear and placed her back in bed. He pulled the covers up to her chin and ran a gentle hand across her forehead. "Go to sleep, the nightmare is over now…"

"Piccolo, that's just it… I feel like it's just about to start." New tears spilled from the girl's eyes and she held onto Piccolo's hand so he wouldn't pull away.

"The Red-Ribbon will never touch you, it's not after you. It's after Goku… and we're gonna take care of that."

"But momma said that…"

"I don't care what you're mother said, don't believe her… I promise that neither Dr. Gero or his so called 'army' will ever harm you, all right?" Piccolo stroked her forehead comfortingly and brushed the tears from her small, round cheeks, "No need to cry, little one…"

"Thank you, Piccolo." A smile touched Keket's features and she slowly blinked her eyes. As she drifted into sleep, Piccolo heard her tiny murmurs, "Stay……stay with me….." Finally, the child began to snore softly, overtaken by slumber.

"Sleep well, child. You'll need the rest for tomorrow." Piccolo smoothed bangs from her face one last time and quietly exited the room.

*

Unknown to all inside the lookout, a figure stood outside Keket's window. It's red eyes glowed a shade brighter and then dimmed. Only a slight mechanical whir could be heard as it stealthily crawled through the window and entered the child's room. It watched her chest ride and fall in even patterns as she slept. Slinking toward the bed, it stood and glared down Keket with eyes that were neither dead nor alive.

*

A/N- well, there is chapter 5. Maybe a bit too sappy for my tastes, but that's what the people in my head told me to write. And so there is no confusion, this story is an AU. It takes place right before Trunks would show up from the future in the normal timeline and Goku is back on Earth. Pretend that Frieza was killed in the fight on Namek. That is all. Tell me what you think, all right?


	6. Sleep, my dears.....

Darkness

Disclaimer- Piccolo: *looks at the paper that Nuke has given him to read*

Nuke: Well!? Go on, read it!

Piccolo: *rolls his eyes and reads the paper* Nuke does not own DBZ or any of the characters…..except Piccolo…..HEY! You don't own me either!!!

Nuke: *holding her sides from laughing at the look on Piccolo's face*

Piccolo- Why you little-!!

Nuke- *begins running* All right!! I don't own you! I don't own you!!

Back to the middle and around again, I'm gonna be there 'til the end… 100 % pure, fic!! (Yes, I realize that I'm crazy, please don't bring it to my attention)

*

Keket let out a soft mumble and rolled over, oblivious to the presence of the monster standing over her. A soft whir of gears filled the room as the thing scanned Keket's body.

~Keket Nako~

~Age: 7 and 1/2~

~Residence: 261 Geronimo St., South City~

~Guardians: Mother- Jezzy Nako

Father- deceased, Kenji Nako~

~Directions: take Keket Nako into custody….

Destroy evidence….

Kill….

Kill….

Kill….~

A deep grinding voice spoke into the darkness of the room. The creature leaned over Keket as it opened a valve in the front of its chest and released a form of sleeping gas. The child stirred and coughed as she inhaled the toxin.

"Mmm…. Momma….s'not there…" She mumbled incoherently and was taken into unconsciousness by the gas that filled her lungs.

The creature, moving swiftly and silently in the cover of darkness, grabbed the child by her shirt and tucked her under its strong, cold, steely arm. Keket's tiny arms and legs dangled helplessly as the thing took a quick glance around and crawled out of the window.

~Destroy…destroy…~

It flew out into the open, above the lookout and glared down at it. Opening it's other chest plate, a missile appeared from the slot and aimed itself at the lookout.

*

Inside his room, meditating, Piccolo was not aware that anything was happening. Kami was resting only lightly, and because there had been no noises, he was not aware of a foreign presence. Popo slept, as always, like a rock, nothing alerted him to danger.

None of them even felt the blast that hit the lookout. It burned them alive in a matter of seconds. There was no time to react to the danger; they were merely swept away like so much ash. The lookout, barely recognizable, plummeted to the Earth below, Along with it, it took Korin's tower which rumbled roughly before it toppling down.

Keket slept peacefully in the kidnapper's arms, unaware that her one and only friend had just been blown away, utterly. 

The intruder, bits of it's metal gleaming as the sun began to rise, affirmed its actions and flew off with a secure grip on the girl for which it had come.

*

On Earth… Gohan sat up in bed, panting heavily…. Something was wrong….

*

A/N- sorry to have such a short chapter, but I wanted to get this part up…. I know things look bleak, but I have a plan…so stay tuned until I can find time to write the next chapter… *mumbles about mid-terms*

Piccolo: You whine far too much! Why don't you just do the work and shut up?

Nuke: *shoves her paperwork at Piccolo* Why don't YOU try some of this!?

Piccolo: *is speechless* Err…well, yes…I WOULD do this but I…uh…have to train. Yeah…gotta train…so…*ahem*…. I'll see you later…*flies off, scattering Nuke's papers everywhere*

Nuke: *shouts after him* I really loathe you! You know that!? 


	7. Aftermath

Darkness

Disclaimer- 

Nuke: *still running from Piccolo, rushes by the screen* I do not own Dbz!!

Piccolo: AND?! *still chasing*

Nuke: Or Piccolo! Or Piccolo!!!! *slows to a stop*

Piccolo: *finally stops chasing* That's better. *growls* little brat….

*To the tune of 'Three Blind Mice* 

~One lil' Nuke

One lil' Nuke,

See how she writes,

See how she writes….

La de de da….*stops because she can't think of anything else*

Uh…yeah~ (Kami help me!)

*

Gohan shot out of bed like a bullet out of gun, and strained his senses to the max to feel out the kis of his friends. He searched over the energy waves to the East, West, North, and South. All of them were intact….except….Gohan gasped and reached out with his mind again.

"Piccolo?! Piccolo-san!?" He cried out involuntarily as he realized his best friend's ki was gone. Demolished. Utterly and totally. "Piccolo! NO!" Gohan, still clad in his pajamas, took off out his open window and began flying to the lookout. As he flew toward it, Gohan noticed a disturbance beneath, a fire raged and people were running everywhere. 'Maybe something happened to him down there.' Gohan thought, fighting back tears of dread at what he might find.

The sight that met his eyes when he touched down was enough to drive the young boy into hysterics.

"N-no…." he whimpered as he recognized what were the remains of the lookout. Fire burned all around him, a perfect background to the fire of pain that roared inside his soul. "Kami-sama… Piccolo….no…" Gohan began to moan, dropping to his knees as fire trucks arrived, the wail of the sirens did not reach Gohan's deaf ears. "Noooooo….nooo……Piccolo-san….no…" Sobs sputtered forth from him, slow at first and then with such force that his small body began to shake. "Oh..Kami…." he wailed, "Piccolooooo……" 

"Hey…hey son. You all right?" Came the voice of a man that Gohan didn't recognize. He looked up to see a firefighter shaking his shoulder. "You okay kid? You know what happened here?" The firefighter asked with a stern face. Gohan shook his head slowly and pushed the man's hand away.

"Go away…go awaaaay…" He cried. The man hesitated, and was about to ask Gohan if he was all right again, but one of his colleagues called out to him.

"Hey! Kenji!! Get over here! This fire's getting' outta control!" The other firefighter yelled, struggling to keep the flames under control. His attempts were in vain, for the fire had the upper hand. The wind was blowing, spreading the deadly flames to more wooded areas. Gohan knew he had to get up and help… had to tell his dad…had to find out what had happened… but it all hurt so bad. He just hurt so very, very much…..

*

The sun barely peeking over the horizon, Keket began to awake. She noticed her strange position, wondering why she'd be dangling in her sleep. She screeched as she realized that she was nearly 200 hundred feet in the air.

"What?…What are…" She stammered breathlessly, trying to make sense of what was going on. Keket shrieked again when she looked up and saw that it was not Piccolo who carried her this time. It was a cyborg. Dark metal, red eyes, and a grip that was nearly crushing her.

"D-doctor…. No….not that…no…not mamma…please no!" She pushed at her restraints, a futile endeavor. The cyborg looked down at his (or her) prisoner.

~Keket Nako~ Came its raspy, metallic voice.

"Y-yes.." the child stammered, "T-that's me. What… what have you done with Piccolo! And Kami!! Where are you taking me?!" She yelled at the creature, knowing the horrible truth already, but unable to stop herself from asking.

~Dead. Dead. Home~ The machine answered, turning it's attention back to their destination.

"D-dead…Piccolo….no…" She whimpered, but knew it was the truth. 'How did this monster find me?' She asked herself, and was surprised when the cyborg answered her unvoiced question.

~You have transmitter~ It replied.

"A…what? Wh-what do you mean?" Keket asked, puzzled by the answer she received.

~Explained later. Doctor will explain~

"Doctor Gero?" She asked tentatively, hoping she didn't make the machine angry, and wondering if it was even possible to make a non-living creature angry.

~Yes, master Gero~ The cyborg seemed to harbor no malicious feelings toward the girl. This did not make Keket feel any better. This monster had just killed the only friend she had ever had. In her entire life. The person she had hoped would eventually love her and care for her. Now, all her hopes of a stable, happy life were shattered. All because of this thing…this awful thing that carried her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, hating to even come into contact with such a loathsome creature.

"When… when will we get there?" She asked, steeling herself against tears, though she knew they would come sooner or later.

~Not long. Close now~

Keket closed her eyes and tried not to think of what was going to happen to her. She began to wish she was still asleep and off in a dream world, where there were no robots, cyborgs, androids, evil doctors and cruel mothers. She wished in vain for Piccolo to come save her, take her into his arms and hold her, telling her everything was all right… everything was fine. But no one came to her aid, and Keket was certain that no one ever would.

*

"What the hell happened, old man? Why are we here?" Piccolo asked in frustration as Kami sat up with a dazed look etched across his face. Popo stood up and dusted himself off, wondering why he had been awoken from his sleep. Kami narrowed his eyes as he took in the scenery before him.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, we are on Snake Way." The elderly Namek concluded, picking up his staff, which had clattered to the ground.

"Yes… I realize that," Piccolo growled. "What I meant was, how did we GET here?"

"I… I have no idea…" Kami shook his head uncertainly, a confused look on his face. "I don't remember anything." He looked over at Popo, "Mr. Popo, do you remember what happened?" Popo shook his head, and turned around in all directions, gaping at the miles of rolling, swirling, rising and falling hills of road in either direction.

"Something must have happened…" Piccolo stated calmly while glaring at Kami, "Because we are all DEAD!" He shouted the last part of his sentence, veins beginning to make themsleves visible on his forehead. Kami looked up at the halo above Piccolo's head and then noticed his own.

"Well, I'll be. We are dead…" Kami replied, nonchalantly. Piccolo promptly face-vaulted. He quickly righted himself, however, loathe to have his dignity bruised.

"Listen… I want to know what happened. Something must have happened to the lookout. And if something DID destroy the lookout, then where is Keket? Shouldn't she be here as well?" Piccolo stated, crossing his arms and awaiting an answer. Kami's eyes widened.

"You're right… where IS the girl?" Kami strained his neck to look in all directions for a sign of the child he had met only a few hours before.

"I do not see her, Kami." Popo finally spoke up, looking up at the Guardian of Earth.

"Neither do I, my friend… and I have a bad feeling about all of this…" Kami trailed off momentarily. "We had best get to Lord Enma… perhaps he can help us to understand this…" Piccolo nodded his agreement and grasped the elder's arm. 

"Just transport us there…" He growled, "I'm not wasting my time walking all that way. Something could have happened to Keket." Kami nodded and motioned for Popo to take his other arm. The genie obliged, and soon the three of them began to flicker in and out, before finally disappearing from the scene all together.

*

"Dad? Daddy?" Gohan whispered weakly to his still sleeping father. Chi-chi rolled over, moaning softly. "Please, daddy… wake up!" Gohan began to shake his father violently, sobs spilling forth from him once more. Goku sat up in bed and yawned loudly.

"Yeah, I'm up… I'm up…" Goku stretched languorously, not realizing what had happened while he had been sleeping. Gohan launched himself against his dad, sobbing pitifully. Goku yelped in surprise and looked down to see his son, buried against him. "Gohan… what's wrong? What happened?" He rubbed Gohan's back reassuringly.

"He's gone daddy… He's gone…" Was the only reply he received. Goku narrowed his eyes in confusion and searched through millions of energy waves, searching for one that might be missing. He found it… very quickly. A gap where there should have been a strong throbbing life force.

"P-piccolo…" Goku whispered, wrapping his arms around his son and wondering what could've happened. "Son? Do you know what happened?" Gohan shook his head and swallowed a sob.

"N-no… I woke up… I knew something was wrong. I felt empty, like a part of me had gone…" Gohan nuzzled his father's chest, neither of them noticing that Chi-chi was stirring. "I tried to find him… and the lookout…it's gone. Kami and Popo… they're all gone." The young half-saiyan hiccuped. "Big fire… so many people…I looked through the whole thing, but he just wasn't there. He's gone, he left me… he left me…" 

"The lookout? It's gone!?" Goku jumped out of bed, placing Gohan on the ground. Quickly, he began to dress. "Gohan, go get your gi on. Hurry! We're going to get the others!" Gohan, trying to calm himself, ran to his room to dress. 

"Wha? What's going on?" Chi-chi asked groggily and slowly sat up. She heard her husband bumping around and turned to see him tugging on his left boot. "Goku?" She whispered, sensing the tenseness in the air around her. "What's wrong?" Goku snapped his head up, his wife's voice startling him.

"Chi-chi…the lookout… it's gone." Goku answered silently, slipping on his wristbands. "Gohan and I have to gather the others, Piccolo and Kami are gone as 

well…" Chi-chi gasped, she wasn't friends with either of the Nameks, but she knew her son had a strong attachment to his mentor.

"Oh, Goku… I'm so…so sorry." She struggled to find words that would be adequate for a situation as dire as this one.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna find out what happened. Gohan won't be studying today. And don't yell at him." Goku stated firmly.

"Of course I wouldn't. Oh, my poor boy." Was her motherly reply. Goku finished dressing, kissed his wife gently on the cheek and headed for the door. "Be careful!" She called after him, but he was gone.

*

A/N- not a very exciting chapter…but this story is going at a pretty slow pace anyway. Sorry 'bout that, I'm just writing down whatever pops up in my head. And with my poor slow brain, that takes a while. *lol* Review if you will, leave if you won't, friggin' FREELOADER! *grumbles* People…readin' story…don't even review to tell you….*gripe, gripe. Grumble, grumble*

Piccolo: For Kami's sake, Shut-UP!

Nuke: Oh…go screw yourself….

Piccolo: Actually… I COULD do that, ya know? 'Cause of the split form thing? Heh, what a weird thought…

Nuke: Why do I put up with this??….


	8. Somehow...

Darkness

Disclaimer- I do not own…..I don't own….*pauses with a puzzled look* Now, what was I talking about again? *scratches head*

*

Goku frowned in concern as he watched his son fly beside him. Gohan could barely concentrate on the flight, he had to keep wiping at his steady flow of salty tears.

"Gohan… we'll get him back. Don't worry." Goku said, thinking he should say something to soothe the boy.

"I know daddy… it just…" Gohan sighed shakily and forced himself to stop crying, "It just hit me so hard. 'Specially with the mind link… It felt like someone tore a huge hunk of my soul away."

"I'm sorry, Gohan." Goku was at a loss for words. He truly didn't understand the bond that Gohan had with Piccolo, and he didn't try to make it sound like he did.

"That's all right. At least we can wish him back. Piccolo was never wished back to life using the… the… Earth's…Dra-" Gohan stopped dead in the air and began to sob anew.

"What?? What is it Gohan!?" Goku rushed to his only child's side and held him close.

"We can't use the Dragon Balls!! Kami is dead too! And that means…"

"That there are no Dragon Balls now." Goku finished the sentence. He bowed his head and shut his eyes.

"What'll we do, daddy?? I can't live without Piccolo, I can't!!" Gohan wailed, and grasped his father's shirt so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white.

"I… I'm sorry…son…I'm sor-" Goku stopped in mid-sentence and raised his head up, eyes brightening, "WAIT! What about Neo-Namek's Dragon Balls!? They're still there and you can wish a person back to life as many times as you want!!" Gohan gasped and looked up, smiling through his tears.

"Th-that's right!! We can bring him back after all!!!" Gohan leapt out of his father's embrace and began flying towards Bulma's house. "Well?!" He yelled back at Goku, "C'mon! We gotta get Vegeta and the others!!" Goku grinned and took after the now happy child ahead of him.

*

~Keket Nako, we are here~ The machine shook the child tucked under its arm to rouse her. Keket blinked, she had been in a kind of daze the whole time, unable to think of the future ahead of her.

"Is mother there?" She asked and looked up into the unblinking, red glowing eyes. 

~Mother….

No file….

No file….

No file….~ 

"You mean you don't know? Ummm… Jezzy! Jezzy Nako. That's her name. Is she there?" 

~Jezzy Nako is present with Master~ Keket closed her eyes, trying to block out past visions of her mother. If she could even be called that now. Jezzy had never been a wonderful mother, always insisting that Keket do everything on her own, but after she had that reunion with her brother… nothing had been the same. Keket's thoughts were halted for the moment as the cyborg made a landing in front of a huge laboratory. The weird thing was, the whole place was surrounded by mountains and forested areas. It was all so beautiful; hard to believe the crazy, deadly world within the lab. Keket yelped as the cyborg pushed her through the two doors that had just opened with a mechanical hiss. 

"G'bye Piccolo…." She whispered softly as the metal doors slammed behind her and the darkness engulfed her.

*

"Lord Enma? There are three people here to see you." Lord Enma's assistant called out from one of the hallways and into the main room. Piccolo, Kami, and Popo entered, bowing in a gesture of respect to the Lord Enma.

"Let's see… hmmm… HEY! I know you! You're Kami! S'been awhile, eh?" Lord Enma laughed.

"Well, this time. I'm the one who's dead." Kami blushed sheepishly. "We would like to know what happened."

"You don't know how you died?!" Enma guffawed, "Now that's a new one! But all right…" he began flipping through the large book before him. "Lessee, Kami….you died of…hm, it says here that you were killed in an explosion. Same goes for your two friends here."

"Can you tell me if there is another person who died of this explosion?" Piccolo asked, remembering to be respectful, this guy could send him to hell after all.

"Hmm, nope. You three are the only ones." Enma appeared to scribble something down in the notebook.

"Was there anyone named Keket?" Piccolo asked. Lord Enma sighed, he hated so many questions.

"This is the last question I'm answering. I have work to be done!" He flipped through his book once more. "No sir, she's still alive and w-, well, I wouldn't say well. But she is alive." Piccolo was about to ask another question, but Kami pulled him away from the desk. Popo followed behind as usual.

"Piccolo, don't make him angry. Listen, we'll go to King Kai's and ask him to help us talk to Goku or Gohan. You can then contact Keket, get her to tell you where she is and you can convey the message back to your comrades." Kami smiled at his well thought out plan.

"Listen old man, she could be dead by then. I don't know what the hell a red-ribbon army is, but it damn sure scared her. And I don't think she's the kind to whine. That Dr. Gero sounds dangerous. What if the others don't get to her in time?" Piccolo jerked his arm away and scowled.

"It is our only option." Interrupted Popo. Piccolo growled low in his throat.

"You think I don't know that?" he asked, venom in his voice. "I guess that's what we'll have to do… Can you use your Instant Transmission again?" Piccolo turned to Kami.

"Yes, we will have to. Grab my arm like before." Piccolo did as he was told, though he'd rather break the old man's arm. Within seconds, they were flickering in and out again.

*

"Vegeta!!" Goku landed in front of Capsule Corp. and banged on the door. Bulma opened it and smiled at her old friend.

"Well, hey there Goku! Come to spar with Vegeta?"

"No, this is serious. We need his help…" Goku's face was a mask of seriousness, a far cry from his usual happy, playful smile.

"I-I'll go get him…" Bulma whispered, suddenly sensing the urgency in the air. Gohan tugged on his father's pant's leg.

"Dad? I'll go find the others if you want, it'll save time." Gohan's childish features were scrunched into a look of pure determination. 

"All right. I'll sense out your energy when I tell Vegeta' what's going on. He'll want an explanation." Gohan nodded and flew into the air.

"See you-" Gohan was cut off as he heard a familiar voice sound through his head.

*Son Gohan* Came the voice of Piccolo, but Gohan knew that was impossible. *Gohan, can you hear me?* The half saiyan was sure he heard his teacher's voice that time.

"Piccolo? Is that you?" The child smiled hopefully.

*Yes. But don't get excited, I need you to listen.* Gohan's smile faded and he nodded

"I'm listening."

*I need you to stand by for directions, there's something you have to do for me.* Piccolo was happy to hear the child, but he kept his voice firm to make sure that the boy understood the seriousness of the situation.

*I will explain what happened to me later, all right. So no questions about that. Don't move from the spot you're in until I re-contact you, understand?*

"Of course sir! I'll be waiting!" Gohan smiled and felt the connection between he and Piccolo dissolve.

"GOHAN!" Goku yelled in his son's direction. "What're you DOING??"

"Piccolo just contacted me!" Gohan flew down next to his father. "He said not to go anywhere until he contacted me again."

"Are you sure? Well, okay… Piccolo is the dead guy after all. We'll wait."

*

Keket found herself in a dank and dirty looking room. It appeared to be a dungeon of sorts, but why would there be a dungeon in a lab?

"Um, where am I?" She asked the machine who had dropped her unceremoniously on the cold floor.

~Holding room…~

"W-what's that?" Keket turned to peer up at the cyborg towering over her small form.

~Ask questions later. Doctor will be here soon~ With those words, the creature left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Keket surrounded by darkness.

"I'm scaaared…" She sniffed and balled up tightly against a wall. She just knew there were creatures in here, just waiting to gobble her up when she closed her eyes.

*Hey, Keket. Can you hear me?* Keket let out a choked sob; she could have sworn she heard Piccolo. But it was just her mind playing cruel tricks on her.

"Piccolo… I'm scared…" she whimpered.

*Hey! You're there!* Piccolo sounded relieved. Keket hiccuped again. 'He would sound relieved if he were really there' she thought miserably.

*Hey, hey…kid… it is me.* He called out to her mind in his most soothing voice. *Little one, I'm here… don't cry.*

"P-piccolo?" Keket called out into the darkness, fighting back a sob.

*Yeah, yeah I'm here. You just can't see me.* Keket could almost feel him drawing his fingers through her hair gently.

"Piccolo…what happened to you?? I woke up..and you weren't there… and I couldn't…I couldn't.." She stopped as another sob worked it's way past her lips.

*Shh, I'll explain all of that soon. Just tell me where you are, I'm going to get someone to help you.*

"I…I'm in the mountains somewhere, it's surrounded by a huge forest." Keket sniffled and tried to think of a particular detail that would help Piccolo. "Um, there was a huge knotted tree next to the lab. It was taller than the rest."

*Good, I think I know where that is. You did good… I'll get someone there to help you. Just stay strong for me, okay?* 

"I'll try… but I'm scared Piccolo. Please… help me… Dr. Gero will be here soon and I don't know what to-" Keket stopped mid-sentence as the door to the room she was in creaked open and the doctor himself, stepped inside.

*

A/N- this story is really starting to suck. I don't know if I'm gonna finish… *yawns* well, thanks to those who review and to those who don't- …..thanks anyway for reading thus far. ^_^ I'm going to beddy.

Nuke: PICCOLO!!!!!

Piccolo: Damn it girl! I told you not to yell! What do you want??

Nuke: Come read me a bed time story.

Piccolo: *veins pop out* WHAT? You're kidding, right?

Nuke: *sniffles* Well, if you wanna just let me lay here with no sleep, I understand. *cries*

Piccolo: All right all right!! Just shut up for the love of Kami!

Nuke: n'kay!!!*grins*

Piccolo: I'm gonna kill you…..


	9. Help: On the way

Darkness

Disclaimer- I'm sure you all know by now that I do not own Dbz. I own Keket, and that'll have to do. 

Keket gasped, squeezed her eyes shut and gave Piccolo one last message through the mind link.

*Piccolo, he's here… now! Wh-what should I do?*

*Stay strong kid, just stay strong and I'll get someone there! It'll be okay soon. I have to go now. I have to contact someone else. Don't fight him Keket, I don't want you to get hurt… See you soon little one.* Piccolo withdrew from the mind link before the child could go into hysterics. He hated to leave her there with no comfort, but he had to contact the others.

*Gohan? Son Gohan?* He made his next link with his pupil.

*Piccolo-san! I was starting to get worried! Tell me what's going on!* Gohan nearly leapt for joy at the sound of his mentor's voice.

*All right, here's what's up--* Piccolo laid out the background of the past few days and gave Gohan directions on what to do. 

*So, we have to go to the old training grounds, go west about 50 miles and the lab is somewhere in the Xun mountains?* Gohan repeated the directions, making absolutely sure that he didn't leave anything out.

*That's right kid. You get the girl out of there, understand? Tell your dad I'm sorry I can't fight. But, I'm kinda dead, ya know?* Gohan couldn't see the Namekian's face, but he could plainly hear the smirk in his voice.

*I gotcha Piccolo-san! We'll do whatever it takes! I gotta go now, dad is starting to get impatient.* Gohan whispered a last *Bye…* through the mental link before disconnecting with his beloved mentor.

"Gohan?" Goku nudged his son in the side. "Well? Tell me what's going on." Gohan smile sadly up at his father and relayed to him the message that had just been given.

*

"D-doctor… G-gero…" Keket murmured and bundled herself against the wall, as far away from the doctor as she could.

"Ah, Keket. What am I going to do with you? Here I thought I could trust my worthless sister to watch you, and you run off. Well, no matter. I'm making some 'adjustments' to her." The doctor chuckled evilly and walked closer to the cowering child. "Honestly Keket, I'm not going to do anything to you… not yet anyway, so stand up and stop whimpering!" Keket gulped and forced herself to stand. Piccolo had told her not to fight him and she was determined to do as he had asked, no matter how scared she was.

"Is… my mother here?" Keket stuttered uncertainly as she dared to look into the face of the maniacal doctor.

"Yes, yes. The dear woman is here. Would you care to see her?" Gero smiled down at her with anything but kindness in his expression.

"I…I…" Keket's eyes welled with tears.

"Oh, honestly… stop your blubbering." Gero growled at her menacingly. He then mumbled to himself under his breath. Unknown to him, Keket heard his mutterings. "Damn brat…shouldn't have added that emotion chip…"

"E-emotion chip?" Keket swiped at the tears falling down her face and looked up at the doctor in confusion.

"So you heard me, eh? Well, no questions… you'll understand everything soon enough. Now come, let's go see your mother." Gero pulled a remote control from his lab coat and pressed several buttons among the hundreds that seemed to be there. Shortly thereafter, the same cyborg that had brought her here appeared in the room and grabbed Keket up by the back of her shirt.

"Follow me, Teral." He motioned to the machine who followed obediently behind it's master down the long, dark hallway. The cyborg brought the child up to eye level when small sobs began to erupt from her. The doctor was far ahead of them now, but the cyborg Teral stopped to let the old man put more space between them. Teral waited until the shadows had swallowed the old man up before bringing the scared, helpless girl to his chest to hold her like a baby.

"Keket Nako… shhhh…" came it's scratchy, mechanical voice. "Do not cry…" His metal hands, more like claws, traced the trail of tears that lined Keket's face. Keket looked up in absolute shock.

"B-but… you…" She stuttered and tried to pull away from the cyborg. He held to her tightly though and slowly leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Things are not as they seem, dear one. All will be revealed in time…" The machine trailed off and without another word, began to follow the doctor once again. Keket was still in shock from what had just happened, and so snuggled down into the hard metal arms that held her and wished that they were warmer and softer… like Piccolo's…

*

"Kakarott! I thought you knew where this place was!" Vegeta growled menacingly. He had somehow been talked into coming along on this little expedition.

"Relax, We'll find it." Goku answered with a smile, which only annoyed the Saiyan prince more.

"I'm not going to keep flying in aimless directions just because you tell me to! If we don't find this place soon then I say to hell with the girl! She means nothing to us… and we'll have to fight these so called robots eventually anyway! Why go through all this trouble?"

"Because Piccolo asked me to!" Gohan shot back at the older man. " And even if you leave, I'm gonna keep looking no matter what!"

"Humph… just hurry up and find this place already!" Vegeta turned his gaze back to the ground below him before Goku or Gohan could reply. They both just rolled their eyes and continued onward.

*

"So, can you establish contact with the other Nameks?" Piccolo asked impatiently as King Kai's antennae twitched this way and that, trying to pick up faint signals.

"If you'll let me concentrate!" He shouted back at the grouchy Namek. Kami chuckled dryly and took a seat next to the fruit-bearing tree on Kai's planet.

"Oh, shut up old man!" Piccolo growled and sat on the ground in the lotus position to await further word from King Kai. He was attempting to contact the elder Namek to ask for three wishes. But, establishing contact was proving to be harder than he had thought.

"I think… I think I have it!!" King Kai shouted as sweat poured down his brow from the effort of such concentration.

"You know what to say, so we shouldn't need to speak to them directly." Piccolo stated, arising from his former position. Kami also rose, looking very concerned. Neither of them could hear what King Kai was saying to the elder Namek, but they hoped that he didn't mess up their wishes…

*

I am sleeepy again. I don't get enough sleep! I've been grounded, as of late and so I haven't had time to put up any chapters. The big twist should be added in the next chapter or maybe the one after that. Anyway, this story is far, far from being over. *sigh* I wish I could just have my thoughts for this story projected directly on the screen so I wouldn't have to type it all! I'm just lazy, I guess. When Vegeta, Gohan, and Goku get to the lab, the fighting starts ^_^ FINALLY! Nothing like a good fight. Until next time then… Bye bye!

Piccolo: You know very well that I would never be that sappy.

Nuke: Oh hush you! Everyone knows you're a cute widdle softy. *giggles*

Piccolo: I really hate this girl… *looks at the readers* Please get me away from her!


End file.
